How to Identify an Unhealthy Manager and Work Environment

There’s no greater feeling than working in a field that you are passionate about and that energizes you. It’s this type of job that excites you to wake up on Monday morning. However, when the job you love entails working for someone who you are not quite that fond of, the work can become tiresome. Even worse, when the job requires working with a toxic boss, the work can become demoralizing and crushing. While any job can be stressful at times, a toxic work environment leaves you feeling undervalued and unappreciated.

Here are a few common signs that you are working in an unhealthy work environment:

1- There is unhealthy communication.

Communication is the key to a healthy, thriving relationship of any kind, including work. If your boss does not communicate with you about expectations or delegate tasks clearly, then it can be the recipe for a bad office environment. This type of boss gives little feedback but then is quick to offer criticism. Also, if your boss communicates with you in a disrespectful or demeaning manner, this can rush team morale.

2- You are overworked and constantly stressed.

Stressful days will happen, but if you find yourself always stressed out, then this is a huge red flag. If your pulse is quickening, your sweating, or there is tension in your chest when interacting with your boss, then there is a problem. As trite as it may seem, the work you do can and should be energizing. You should not be drowning and struggling to come up for air. If you are constantly stressed, it is a sign that there needs to be better delegation of the tasks at hand.

3- Your boss shows little regard for your boundaries.

Your boss or manager should not be emailing and calling you regularly outside of office hours. This is a big red flag. You are a human being, not a robot, which means you need R & R too. You are paid to work a certain number of hours and days a week. During those times, you are ready to work and give your 100 percent, but your time outside of work is yours. If your boss does not respect that, then it shows that he or she does not respect and value you. 

4- Your boss is a respecter of persons.

You want to work for a boss who is as kind to the receptionist as they are to the board of directors. A boss who smiles for her superiors but speaks down to and constantly berates her subordinates is not someone you want to work for. This is a sign of a lack of authenticity in leadership, and a team is only as strong as its leader.

5- When things are stressful, your boss lashes out.

In an unhealthy work environment, it is common for management to berate or snap at employees. When something does not go as planned or a mistake is made, a healthy boss turns this into teaching moments. A toxic boss, on the other hand, yells at, derides, and diminished his or her team.